Cotton cleaner



Sept- 1'7, 1929 J. H. McDoNoUGH ET AL 1,728,501

COTTON CLEANER Filed Sept. 8. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet T. v/ M VWM m ne /Z f 2J. f .MM% H nv .mh LJOM Slept. 17, 1929.

J. H. McDoNoUGH ET.A| `y COTTON CLEANER 2 sheds-sheet 2 Filed sept. 8; 1928.

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drum and extended only opposite the lower part oit the drum.

Another principal advantage was the thorough air washing to which every ibre was subjected during' transit ot the cotton about the drum steadily pressed against the screen by the air currents, and pushed by the drum spikes. Another advantage resided in the tact that the air currents were generated as a by-produet of the rotation of the perforated drum, without expense, other than providing open ends for the drum and peripheral pertorations for the air emission, the drum, by its centrifugal action upon the air within it, acting as an air pump or tan as well as a support and actuating means for the cotton.

rihe surface speed of the air drum was greatly in excess ot that of the Yfeeder drum so that in operation the incoming cotton, upon the surface of the drum, was reduced to a thin layer easily sustained by the air and through which the air jets circulated freely.

The disadvantage was that the drum, acting as a centrifugal fan, drew air from outside the casing in which it operated and discharged it within the casing, from which, after beingcharged with dust and the like in its passage through the cotton, it pertorce round its way out oft the casing, urged by the continual influx ot air from without pumped into the casing,` by the air drum and carrying its dust into the air of the room in which it operated.

In other beater drum cleaners, having the ordinary impertorate drum this eiiiect was not present, since these drums did not inject air into the casing and the Jtine iield dust and other tioating particles remained in the casing` until they settled to the bottom of the casing,v to be remoyed in the ordinary way by the screw conveyor or in some cases to be removed by an ordinary suction air conveyor. ln our air emitting` drum cleaner a constant current ot air passes into and out ot the casing, the lighter than yair dirt being carried out oi" the casing in suspension, so thatI this light dirt does not reach .the screw conveyor and the ordinary air suction conveyor could not be employed with a perforated air drum -for educing the dust and dirt from the casing, the suction effect being' so much more powerful than the air drums emission as to draw air from the lower sine of the drum at high speed and correspondingly decrease or neutralize air emission ot vhe upper halt ot the air drum, thus interfering with the designed operation ot screening and air washing by small and relatively slow air jets around the majorl part of the periphery et the drum.

We have adapted the ordinary suction air conveyor to the evacuation ot heating dust and dirt trom our cleaner as well as the heavier dirt which does not remain suspended in air and will now describe our improved niachine, using as a type a feeder cleaner for a cotton gin, such as was described in our original Patent No. lfltdtll, but it is to be understood that our invention is applicable to any drum or' the perforated. air emitting` type, whether embodied in a cotton feeder for gine, or otherwise.

rlhe operation of the feeder-cleaner for gins is well known in the artand need not be described at length.

in Figure l is shown a feeder-cleaner, consisting` of drum D having a multiplicity et spikes or teeth, CZ. rilhis drum is set beneath a pair ot feed rolls, a', mounted above the drum, D, in a passage, a, or casingv A. rlhe drinn D and the teed rolls a rotate as indicated by the arrows. The shaft d ot the drum D and the feed rolls a are provided with pulleys and gears, outside the casing', by means ot which they are actuated from a source of power, 'all as is well known.

To one side ot the drum D is arranged an auxiliary drum or drums, l, within a screened casing', 2, 3, thel screen being indicated by 2 and the casing by 3. Drum l is carried by shaft 1l mounted in bearings l2 in the sides or ends ot casing 3. The ends ot drum l are open ended as at la, and the peripheral walls lb of the drum are perterated as at 1"'.

When the open end, perforated drinn is rotated, in operation, the air within the drum is trictionally rotated therewith and is condensed at the inner surface of the'drum and attenuated at the axis ot' the drum. Air consequently escapes from the drum through the perforations lc and enters the drum axially at the open ends, la.

To increase this action we provide the drum at its ends with the inwardly extending' flanges or skirts, 1d, which, in operation, restrain any escape of air trom the ends ot the drum at the inner surface and restrain also the entrance of air except at the opening, la. In practice, we form in the casing, opposite the drum opening, l, an opening,- 3 around the bearings 1Q, to admit the easy entrance ot' air at this point, to the interior of the casing and drum.

To further increase the action we may employ tan blades, F, rotating around the shai't ll. The tace of these blades may be parallel to the axis of' the drum and shaft or, preterably, the tree ends of the blades may be turned somewhat from across the direction of rotation, to partially i'ace away :trom the ends of the drum and actuate the air toward the interior et the drum as well as to the inner periphery or the drum.

Uur invention is applicable to the feeder drum D, or any other druin, but is shown only as applied to an auxiliary drum, l.

The drums are connected to rotate in uni- Cil son by suitable pulleys h and belt 7L and a screw conveyor, C, maybe mounted vbeneath the screen, within the casing, and driven by pulley c', to evacuate the heavy non-iloating dirt and trash removed from the seed cotton in the cleaning process. y

it the lower 'pa-rt of the casing, where the walls ofthe casing form -a trough, in which the screw conveyor is mounted, at one end of the casing, an erin/51, yis yformed and to this exit the screw conveyormoves all heavy dirt, which is pushed through the exit. This exit 51 communicates witha pipe 52 communicating niediately or immediately with the suction side of a centrifugal air fan 53, the `fan being also provided with an eduction rpipe leading; to the outer air or as desired. It will now be 'apparent that ope 'ation of the fan 53 will draw air 'from and through the 'casing 3 and thek drum l and, as has'been explained, this effect is comn pletely disturbing to the normal and designed operation' of the machine. To overcome rthis difficulty we pro-vide preferably in the pipe 52 adjacent to the outlet or exit l, an opening 55 admitting' air to thepipe and to the fan. This opening may be of a designed capacity, suoli that the eilect of the fan upon the casing' air is to create merely a drift to the exit 5l and the pipek 52. As there are variations in the air inov ing capacity of fans andas additional cleaner feeders may be connected to the fan in series from time to time, we prefer to provide the opening 55 'with an' adjustable gate by which the volume of air entering the opening` 55l toy feed the fan may be nicely regulated to give the desired yair movement within the casing 3. The gate shown as a box 56 open on one side to the pipe 52 and on the other to the air, the latter opening! having a sliding.;- door 56 by ymeans of which the opening may be varied as needed to obtain the desired effect. f C

le have shown our invention as applied to a single cleaner feeder, but it maybe applied to a battery of feeders, by employingV tubular connection connectingl the several casinos, the feeder casing exit at one end of the .line being connected to the pipe 52 and the fan suction being effective as described in the several castings. If desired a single screw conveyor may run through several casinos to move the heavy dirt to the exit 5l and pipe 52. It will be noted that the air and dust evacuation from the casing 3 is entirely independent of theheavy dirt evacuation by the screw conveyor-r The screw conveyor may be operated only at intervals if desired or may be dispensed with and the heavy dirt removed at intervals by hand. In either case ythe air and dust evacu ation would proceed so long as the fan-druin l and fan 53 were in operation.

rlhe operation .is as follows The A'machine beingr actuated from aA source of power, seedcottonis passed into the feederecleaner at, c, usually from a cotton chute underwhich the machine is disposed rand the seedzcotton is engaged by the rollers, a a', and slightly compressed into a ,loose bat. The bat is r ceived by the drum D, turning as indicated by the arrows, yFigure l, and moved by spikes, d, against the ydrum 1, rotating as indicated yby arrow, bythe spikes, d, on which drum l, the bat is carried around opposite screen 2, which begins, as shown, over the drum l, and extends to the exit e, of f the casing and feeder cleaner.

the bat so deposited upon the surface of drum l carried forward air from the drum is emitted through the perfor-ations 1C beneath the cotton and tends to lift andopen and hold'fit against the screen 2, the air passing' througrlrthe cotton and these-reen, carrying dust and trash from the cotton'andk moisture, if any. The screen 2 is preferably so spaced from the drum that the cotton cannot be forced by the outwardly moving air, beyondthe ends of the spikes, CZ. The cotton' is wished along' by thespikes d, and held and rubbed against the screens 2,'until it reaches point 2l, between drums, when the batL passes to drum D, which pushes itto, thev exit, c, and the chute, g, from which it passes to the gin, indicatedat G.,

During` this passage of the cot-ton from rinlet to outlet it is held towardthe rscreen 2 n either against gravity by the aircurrents, or bythe air currents, aided by gravity when the cotton is'below the center of the drum, and the cotton is subjected rnot only to the cleaningaction of the spikes and screenbut, as well, the cleaning` action of the air passino; through the cotton and the screen. i

` The heavier-than-air dirt from 'the seed cotton passes by gravity to the bottom of the casing' l and the screw conveyor C, 'ifa screw 'conveyor is employed. The dirt and dust held in ysuspension in the air outside the screen 2 drifts with'the air to the exit 5l and pipe 52 and joins the strong aircurrent within the pipekand so is carried to and be# yond the fan 53. y i

The motion of the dust laden air with in the casing is controlled toa nicety by adjustment of the gate or door 56n to permit a greater or less proportion of the air capacity of the fan 58 to be supplied through the gate 5G and a greater or less proportion in consequence through the exit 51 from within the case l. n f

Uur :invention may be easily and cheaply applied to existing machines of the type de# scribed and will convert such machines into dustless 'machines' to the sanitary benefit of the establishments where the machines arefy employed and in cases where many :machines are `employed in confined space will ehminate `any :risk of ydust explosions,

lt will be observed that our preferred suction means are so arranged that, where this is necessary, the air movement induced by the suction fan 53 is sufficiently slow' to oifer no interference with the action or' the air emitting d rum l while in the pipe 52 it is rapid enough to carry the heavy dirt moved by the screw conveyor C together with the dust and dirt in suspension, through the necessary length ot pipe to the fan and thereafter through the eduction pipe 54 to the outer air or elsewhere. lt will also be observed that in our device two air moving devices of widely ditlering powers are combined in such fashion that the greater torce does not dominate nor interfere with the tree and perfect operation of the lesser forcer ln Figure 5 we have indicated the application of our invention to several cleaners, arranged in series, the several cleaners communicating with each other and the suction pipe and tan and the several cleaners also being provided with a screw conveyer, ruiming the length of the battery. rlhe connecting tubes between the several casings 3, are marked 3X.

The pipes 52 and 5e should preferably be of such` size as to have a capacity for free passage ot air equal to the capacity of the fan 53 for moving air and the gate 56 when fully open should have a capacity equal or superior to the pipe 52, so that full opening of the valve 562l will provide nll air supply for the fan 53, without drawing air through the eXit 5l of the casing 3. Gradual closing adjustment of the valve 56a will lgradually restrict air entry to the fan through opening 55 and cause the fan suction to become gradually more effective in drawing air through enit 51 of casing 3, until, if valve 56a were entirely closed, all the supply ot air for fan 53 would be drawn through exit 5l. lt is obvious therefore, that adjustment ot valve 56n from open to closed will give any desired air suction within casing 3, from nothing to the full capacity ot the ian, between the limits of movement of the valve Vile have shown the preferred organization ot the :suction elements and suction control, the gate 56 being situated in the suction pipe 52 between the fan and the connection of' the pipe 52 with the case 3 and adjacent the exit 51. This arrangement gives absolute control of the air movements within the casing.

#Ve claim:

l. In a cotton cleaner, in combination', an outer casing having air openings; a peripherally perforated drum, its ends open for air inlet, mounted for rotation in the y casing, its open ends opposed to the vcasing air-opening; mea-ns for rotating the drum; a suction pipe connected to the cleaner and communicating with the interior of they casing; an air opening of lixed area adjacent the suction pipe connection to the cleaner admitting air to the suction pipe; means to create a suction in the pipe.

2. In a cotton cleaner, in combination, an outer casing having air openings; a periphera-lly perforated drum, its ends open for air inlet, mounted for rotation in the casing, its open ends opposed to the casing air-opening; means for rotating the drum; a suction pipe connected to the cleaner and communicating with the interior ot the casing; an air opening of liXed area admitting air to the suction pipe; means to create a suction in the suction pipe.

3. ln a cotton cleaner, in combination, an outer casing having air openings; a periperally perforated drum, its ends open tor air inlet, mounted for rotation in the casing, its open ends opposed to the casing air-openings; means to rotate the drum; a suction pipe having suction communication with the interior of the casing; an air opening for admitting air into the pipe; means to govern the admission of air through this opening; means to create a suction in the suction pipe.

4. In a cotton cleaner, in combination a multiplicity of cotton cleaners, each comprising an outer casing having inlet air openings; a peripherally perforated drum, its ends open for air inlet, mounted for rotation in the casing, its open ends opposed to the casing air-openings; means to rotate the drum; and air pipes connecting the interiors of the several casings; a suction air pipe having suction communication with the interior of the casing; an opening for admitting air into the pipe; means to fix the area ot the opening for the admission of air through the opening; means for creating a suction in the suction pipe.

5. In a cotton cleaner, in combination, a multiplicity ot cotton cleaners, each comprising an outer casing having air openings opposed to the ends of an air drum; that air drum kperipherally perforated, its ends open for air inlet, mounted for rotation in the casing, its open ends opposed to the casing air-openings; means to rotate the drum; and air pipes connecting the interiors of the several casings; a suction air pipe having suction communication with the interior of the casings; an opening for admitting air into the pipe; means to fix the area of the opening, for the admission of air; means for creating .a suction in the suction pipe.

6. In a cotton cleaner, in combination, an outer casing having air openings; a peripherally perforated drum, its ends open for air inlet; mounted for rotation in the casing, its open ends opposed to the casing air-openings; a suction pipe connected to 

